Behave at Office Holiday Parties

Yes, the holidays are open us, which means that office parties are right around the corner. If you are a solo attorney you are probably not destined for anything too embarrassing (at least nobody will hear about it).

If you work at firm, however, be sure to remember your good manners when attending the office event.

Holiday parties are infamous

A recent study showed that 40% of workers have either embarrassed themselves or know someone who embarrassed themselves. Even worse, 23% have been reprimanded for something that happened at an office holiday event.

Those are not great odds. With the legal economy still recovering, jeopardizing your job over a holiday party is a bad move.

You are still among colleagues

Regardless of where the gathering is, you are still among fellow employees, and your boss is probably there too. It is easy to feel like you are no longer in a work setting, but thinking like that is a recipe for disaster.

If you would not say something in the office—a political comment, personal comment, religious comment, etc.—then keep it under wraps at the holiday party. There is no prohibition on having fun, but a holiday party is not like having drinks with your best friends.

You are not required to stay all night

If you have a feeling that you cannot control yourself, or think that the office party is going to turn into a wild evening that ends at 2 a.m., leave before something bad happens.

There is nothing wrong with making an appearance and then checking out. Frankly, I am willing to bet you will be able to drag others with you when you leave. You can always make an excuse for why you needed to leave early—yet you will still get credited with showing up.

Randall sues debt collectors that harass consumers, assists consumers with student loan issues, and defends consumers in debt collection lawsuits. He is also an attorney instructor at the University of Minnesota Law School.